Shared responsibility to protect rule of law
Representative organisations of the legal profession globally have signed a joint statement calling for shared responsibility among states, international institutions, and the legal profession to safeguard international law and the independence of international courts and tribunals.
The statement expresses deep concern about any actions, measures or practices that seek to undermine the independence, authority or effective functioning of international courts and tribunals, or that target judges, prosecutors, lawyers and other legal professionals because of the performance of their professional functions.
The signatories recall that legal standards adopted at the United Nations condemn such actions and call on states to protect judges, prosecutors, and lawyers from them.
The statement stresses that the protection of international justice is a shared responsibility.
States must respect the independence of international courts and tribunals and cooperate with them in good faith.
International institutions must safeguard the independence of judicial bodies and ensure that those who work within or alongside them can do so without fear of retaliation.
The legal profession, for its part, must defend the independence of courts and lawyers.
Impartiality
On this basis, the signatories call on states and international institutions to:
- Respect and protect the independence, impartiality, and effective functioning of international courts and tribunals,
- Refrain from threats, intimidation or any other interference against judges, prosecutors, lawyers, and court officials, and
- Ensure that international disputes and questions of legal responsibility are addressed through law and legitimate judicial and institutional processes.
The defence of international justice needs a clear and collective commitment, the statement adds.
Integrity
The international legal profession stands firmly for the protection of international justice and the integrity of international law:
“We reaffirm our collective commitment to an international rule of law where courts are free to exercise their functions independently and judges and legal professionals can perform their duties without fear or interference,” the statement concludes.
Joint statement signatories:
- American Bar Association (ABA),
- Council of Bars and Law Societies of Europe (CCBE),
- International Bar Association (IBA),
- Japan Federation of Bar Associations (JFBA),
- Law Association for Asia and the Pacific (LAWASIA),
- Pan African Lawyers Union (PALU),
- Ibero-American Union of Bar Associations and Associations (UIBA),
- International Association of Lawyers (UIA).